2007 Cadillac XLR Sports Car Reviews & Ratings

The Cadillac XLR has an attractive interior, as tastefully done as a Lexus, though it still feels like a Cadillac inside. The interior is awash in beige or black leather. Customers can choose light or dark eucalyptus at no extra charge. Equally tasteful use of anodized aluminum trim brightens the atmosphere. Dash and other trim materials appear to be of high quality. It's as nice as anything from Lexus, Mercedes-Benz or BMW.

The XLR-V has Zingana wood on the shifter knob, cup holder area, steering wheel, and on portions of the door and center console. Its seats feature French stitching and matching perforated suede fabric inserts.

From behind the wheel the view is swoopy. Between the fender bulge and a peaked center line on the hood, a subtle but sharp trough runs away from the driver down his or her line of sight. A head-up display projected onto the windshield indicates speed and the selected gear, the latter convenient when using the manual shifting mode. The HUD also displays the radio station for a moment after switching stations; and does some neat scoreboard-type effects for your amusement.

The instrument panel is by Bvlgari, an Italian design company known primarily for its jewelry. The gauges are clear, with white numbers on a black background, surrounded by unnecessary but seemingly obligatory chrome rings.

The leather-wrapped steering wheel has burled wood between 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock, which has drawn mixed opinions.

The XLR seats feel relatively soft and are heated and cooled. There's decent bolstering. More support could be used in a car that corners this well, though that would make getting in and out harder.

Thankfully, Cadillac hasn't tried to compete in the flawed technology chase that BMW and Audi send their luxury drivers on to control simple things. Most of the functions in the XLR are controlled by simple switchgear with finger-sized buttons. The HVAC (heating and air conditioning) controls are blissfully separate, elegantly designed and easy to use. The navigation system is displayed on a seven-inch LCD screen located in the center console, under neat rectangular heating and cooling vents. The system will also play DVD movies when the transmission is in Park, treating the driver and passenger to virtual surround sound, like a drive-in movie theater without the wailing babies. The screen can be difficult to read in bright sunlight, however.

Setting up the radio is tedious until you know how. Once set up, however, buttons on the steering wheel make switching among your favorite stations easy. Turning off the radio is as easy as pressing the volume knob, aesthetically more appealing than the Mercedes system which cannot be turned off without turning off the navigation. XM Satellite Radio is standard on XLR, providing 24-hour news channels, sports stations, and near-CD quality music anywhere you travel.

It's even easy to reach the dual cup holders on the center console next to the shifter. The XLR is a two-seater, though, so there's not much room to store so much as a briefcase or tote bag without cooperation from your passenger. Places to stash stuff are provided in the doors, center console and glove box, though none of them are large.

The retractable hard top consumes three-fourths of the trunk space when it's down. And because the trunk raises and opens at the back to swallow it, rainwater will drain down in the trunk instead of dropping on the ground behind the bumper. Cadillac says owners should be able to fit a small golf bag in the trunk (or passenger seat), but recommend keeping the clubs at the club.

The 2007 Cadillac XLR boasts the latest and best version of the 4.6-liter Northstar V8. It's smooth, quiet, and powerful. With double overhead-cams, variable valve timing and electronic throttle control, it produces 320 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque.

The XLR can go from 0 to 60 in 5.8 seconds and do the quarter-mile in 14.2 seconds, making it faster than most of its competition because it's lighter and more powerful. The XLR's 320 horses only have to drag 3,647 pounds.

By comparison, the Lexus SC430 has just 288 horsepower to propel 3,840 pounds; the Jaguar XK has just 300 horsepower for 3,759 pounds. The Mercedes-Benz SL550 has 382 horsepower, but at 4,220 pounds, that's 11.0 pounds per pony; the base XLR isn't so far behind at 11.4. And at $94,800, the Benz is priced closer to the 443-horsepower XLR-V.

Big torque numbers aside, the base XLR engine is thrilling when it comes on strong at higher revs, all the way to redline at 6500 rpm. Much of the torque seems to start at about 4400 rpm.

In the handling department, the XLR was halfway home when it was mounted on the superb Corvette chassis, which is very strong and light. In fact, the XLR is assembled in the Corvette plant at Bowling Green, Kentucky. New aluminum subframes were designed to accommodate the XLR body, lengthening the wheelbase by one inch. Along with the low stance, good weight distribution and lightweight aluminum suspension components, this edges the XLR in the direction of great handling. The XLR has a longer wheelbase and wider track than the SL550, SC430 and XK8.

The electronic active suspension is unique, and works exceptionally well. Like the Corvette, it uses transversely mounted composite leaf springs front and rear with wishbone control arms. The monotube shock absorbers contain fluid with magnetic particles whose alignment controls the stiffness. Sensors read the road 1000 times per second and vary those magnetic fields. In short, the XLR offers tenacious grip and excellent handling. It charges down rippled curvy roads and takes smooth sweepers flat out.

Cruising in the XLR, which is what most of us do most of the time, is pleasant. There's little wind noise. If there are any hard edges to the ride we haven't felt them. It feels big, somewhat like the Corvette, but tight, fast and quick.

The faster the car went the better the speed-sensitive rack-and-pinion power steering felt. The high-speed chassis balance was impressively neutral. The StabiliTrak electronic stability control made corrections to regain traction, but wasn't as intrusive as in the Mercedes-Benz SL.

The Michelin Z-rated run-flat tires measure 235/50ZR18 on 8-inch rims, not particularly wide for 320 horsepower. That helps the ride but not the braking distance. We gave the brakes a good panic stop and, as with all Cadillacs, the ABS worked especially well. Not long ago we tested a V12 Mercedes SL600 roadster ($132,000), and the XLR's anti-lock brakes seem smoother.

XLR is the first Cadillac to come with an adaptive forward lighting system, which automatically adjusts headlamp direction up to 15 degrees. Vehicle speed and steering wheel angle input determine how fast and how far the headlamps turn.

Powering the XLR-V is a 4.4-liter version of the same Northstar V8, outfitted with a positive displacement supercharger and intercooler. That boosts its output to 443 horsepower at 6400 rpm, and 414 pound-feet of torque at 3900 rpm. The engine's power is underscored by its ability to deliver 90 percent of its peak torque between 2200 and 6000 rpm. Pirelli Run-Flat tires (P235/45 in front, P255/40 in the rear) on 19 by 8.5-inch wheels help the V-model's modified suspension grip the road.

For 2007, both engines are now mated to the new-for-last-year Hydra-Matic 6L80 six-speed automatic transmission, which uses an integrated 32-bit controller and offers a wide, 6.04:1 overall ratio spread for performance with fuel economy.

The XLR ($75,335) comes with a 4.6-liter V8 that produces 320 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. The list of standard equipment is long and includes a nine-speaker Bose sound system with XM Satellite radio, DVD navigation and video, Magnetic Ride Control, radar-controlled adaptive cruise control, keyless entry and push-button start, a head-up display, and Gen 7 OnStar, the latest highway assistance service featuring the helpful voices of genuine human beings beamed to the car by satellite.

The Passion Red ($2,575) and Platinum ($6,080) packages add special wheels, colors, upholstery and trim.

The XLR-V ($97,460) features a supercharged 4.4-liter V8 that produces 443 horsepower and 414 pound-feet of torque. Chassis modifications include larger brakes; recalibrated Magnetic Ride Control; a larger front stabilizer bar; the addition of a rear stabilizer bar; stiffer rear lower control arm bushings; larger wheels and tires; a power steering fluid cooler; and a higher-capacity fuel pump. Inside, the V-model features aluminum accents and French-stitched leather seats. Wire-mesh grilles, a hood bulge, and other exterior filips make sure the neighbors notice. No options are available.

Safety features that come standard include side-impact airbags, StabiliTrak electronic stability control, and OnStar.